Latest news with #CleanAirAct
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
US EPA proposes axing greenhouse gas rules that apply to motor vehicles
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed ending rules that address the contribution of motor vehicles to climate change. In a statement, the EPA said that its proposal would 'repeal all resulting greenhouse gas emissions regulations for motor vehicles and engines, thereby reinstating consumer choice and giving Americans the ability to purchase a safe and affordable car for their family while decreasing the cost of living on all products that trucks deliver'. Transportation is the largest source of direct greenhouse gas emissions in the US and for years the EPA has pushed vehicle makers in the US to reduce their contribution with steps that have included strict tailpipe standards and target a big transition to EVs and plug-in hybrids by 2030. In his presidential election campaign, Donald Trump pledged to roll back 'electric vehicle mandates' and boost the oil and gas industry. He framed his policies as about restoring consumer choice. They were also supported by the oil and gas industry and climate change sceptics, as well as parts of the US auto industry who have said tailpipe standards are too strict and costly to meet. The EPA's 'endangerment finding' in 2009 determined that CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions are a form of air pollution that the agency can regulate under the Clean Air Act, because climate change harms human health. The EPA's latest proposal would revoke the endangerment finding, seen by many as a cornerstone of US federal rules designed to tackle multiple sources of greenhouse gases – such as motor vehicles. Although CAFE standards remain in place, the US Department of Transport is reviewing them and Congress has already voted not to enforce big fines for vehicle manufacturer non-compliance. It has also voted to end the State of California's so-called 'EPA waiver' that meant it adopted tougher greenhouse gas policies than federal rules. The Trump administration has also scrapped consumer EV tax credits. 'With this proposal, the Trump EPA is proposing to end sixteen years of uncertainty for automakers and American consumers,' said EPA Administrator Zeldin. 'In our work so far, many stakeholders have told me that the Obama and Biden EPAs twisted the law, ignored precedent, and warped science to achieve their preferred ends and stick American families with hundreds of billions of dollars in hidden taxes every single year. We heard loud and clear the concern that EPA's GHG emissions standards themselves, not carbon dioxide which the Finding never assessed independently, was the real threat to Americans' livelihoods. If finalized, rescinding the Endangerment Finding and resulting regulations would end $1 trillion or more in hidden taxes on American businesses and families.' 'Thanks to President Trump's leadership, America is returning to free and open dialogue around climate and energy policy - driving the focus back to following the data,' said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. 'Today's announcement is a monumental step toward returning to commonsense policies that expand access to affordable, reliable, secure energy and improve quality of life for all Americans.' Administrator Zeldin also announced the agency would reconsider the Model Year 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles regulation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles. "US EPA proposes axing greenhouse gas rules that apply to motor vehicles" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
USA Today
5 hours ago
- Climate
- USA Today
Tsunami waves reach US coast
Good morning!🙋🏼♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. Time to cringe to a new "The Summer I Turned Pretty" episode. Tsunami waves reach Hawaii and the West Coast hours after magnitude 8.8 earthquake U.S. authorities remain vigilant Wednesday morning of wave heights, as well as strong or hazardous currents, after tsunami advisories were triggered across the Pacific, Alaska and the entire U.S. West Coast. More updates: The waves began arriving in Hawaii after 7 p.m. local time after one of the strongest earthquakes in recorded history, a magnitude 8.8 temblor, struck Tuesday off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. The EPA just made the largest deregulatory action in US history The Environmental Protection Agency will rescind the long-standing finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health, as well as tailpipe emission standards for vehicles. This means wiping out two decades of regulation aimed at reducing carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases from cars, power plants, oil production and other sources. President Donald Trump's pick to run the EPA Lee Zeldin will announce the proposal Tuesday. If finalized, this action will devastate the EPA's ability to carry out its primary authority to limit climate pollution under the federal Clean Air Act. More news to know now What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here. New York City shooter puts focus on NFL's troubling history with CTE The mass shooting in New York has once again put the spotlight on the National Football League's troubling history with how the league deals with head trauma and, more recently, the links with playing football and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated blows to the head. New York police say Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old Las Vegas resident who played high school football in the Los Angeles area, killed four people, including a New York City police officer, before turning the gun on himself. Mayor Eric Adams said Tamura targeted the league's headquarters in New York, leaving a note claiming he had CTE. Trump wants lower interest rates. Will the Fed make cuts? All eyes will be on the Federal Reserve's post-meeting statement Tuesday to see if there are signs of an impending interest rate cut in September. The Fed has kept its key interest rate steady since late 2024, despite monthslong pressure from President Donald Trump to make cuts. While Trump has floated the idea of firing Fed chair Jerome Powell, the president on July 24 backed off his threats following a visit to the Fed's headquarters. Trump's ire stems from the central bank's decision to wait and see how tariffs impact prices before adjusting rates. Today's talkers Crack open a cold one with USA TODAY From dive bars to hidden speakeasies, swanky cocktail lounges to beachfront watering holes, the best bars tell a story — and often serve up something tasty to go with your drink. USA TODAY's Bars of the Year 2025 are the places where locals and visitors alike gather for good conversation, warm vibes and a little slice of the city's character – whether that means savoring a Rusty Nail aboard a simulated flight in Phoenix, chasing an Orange Crush down the beach in Delaware or pairing a salty margarita with a deep-fried hot dog at a Florida dockside bar. Check out the spots chosen by USA TODAY Network journalists who know their hometown haunts inside and out. Photo of the day: This kid from America From New Hope, Pennsylvania, to Kawasaki, Japan: Zach Peckman, 16, is representing the best of American jump rope at the World Jump Rope Championships in Japan this week. His events are all about speed, such as the 30-second and 3-minute sprints where some athletes hit more than seven jumps per second. To keep rhythm during competition, Peckman listens to a sped-up version of Kim Wilde's 'Kids in America' — we'll be listening in support, too. Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@
New York Times
7 hours ago
- Health
- New York Times
We Study Climate Change. It Endangers You and Your Children.
We study the effects of climate change on people. We know, from the best available science, that climate change will endanger the health and livelihood of most Americans alive today. After a long and sweeping review, the U.S. government came to a similar conclusion in 2009, when the federal Environmental Protection Agency issued a so-called endangerment finding — a move that signaled a high level of government confidence in the data it was reviewing. The finding established that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that cause climate change are harmful pollutants. In turn, this meant that these gases could be regulated by the Clean Air Act, empowering the E.P.A. to issue regulations on emissions of these gases from cars, trucks, power plants and other sources, backed by stronger science. Reasonable people will disagree about how best to address climate change. The purpose of America's endangerment findings is to acknowledge that a hazard exists so that the government can protect Americans from it. Think of the finding like car headlights in the dark, helping us see dangers ahead and avoid them. The Trump administration this week took the first step to overturn the finding, by issuing a proposal that claims that the rule is scientifically and legally invalid, as well as unjustifiably costly. After a comment period, the administration could try to finalize the withdrawal of the finding next year. The consequence — and likely goal — of the administration's gamble, if it succeeds against inevitable legal challenges, will be to begin unraveling several regulations that have begun to make a dent in America's contribution to climate change and the hazards it creates. A key element of the administration's proposal is to redefine what it means for air pollution to cause harm. If a pollutant causes climate change, it would no longer count as hurting us. This runs counter to both basic logic and a growing mountain of science documenting direct harms from greenhouse gas emissions via climate change. Why are we so confident in the dangers ahead? Humans are highly adaptable and Americans are particularly so, but the data and evidence indicate that climate change will cause many Americans to die earlier than they otherwise would. High temperatures will kill Americans by stressing underlying conditions, such as heart disease. We expect that intensifying hurricanes, more frequent floods and smoke from more frequent forest fires together will most likely kill millions of Americans in the coming century. In addition to intensifying natural threats, climate change will make households and communities in America more dangerous for their inhabitants. Environmental conditions affect our bodies and minds, particularly how we make decisions and turn to violence. Higher temperatures are associated with more miscarriages and more domestic violence. While perhaps surprising, the link between rape and temperature is one of the strongest findings in our field. We fear that additional heat from climate change will lead to more suicides, murders and assaults. Climate change will increase the frequency and intensity of acute disasters, such as the recent devastating fires in Maui, Los Angeles and Paradise, Calif.; the floods in Texas; and the hurricane damage in Puerto Rico and North Carolina. As health insurance and property insurance become more expensive or access to coverage disappears, coping with these risks will be increasingly expensive. Taxpayers will bear many additional costs when uninsured losses fall to public social safety net programs. Farmers are expected to suffer some of the most serious losses to climate change. Annual crop losses throughout much of the Corn Belt are projected to be significant. Agricultural innovation, which we once expected to compensate for these losses, appears more sluggish than predicted. Losing access to water resources will drive up costs for farmers, and climate change will hurt the value of American farmland. The Trump administration argues that slowing greenhouse gas emissions has harmed the economy and impedes business — but climate change will, too, only more so. Economic growth will slow, food prices will very likely rise, and vast tracts of American real estate will lose value. We predict that workers will become less productive, less happy and more prone to safety errors. Demands on public services will increase while the cost of servicing new debt will probably rise. In contrast, climate change is expected to generally enhance some economic opportunities for Russia and Canada. Parents may feel a growing urgency to warn their children about climate change, since it will reduce their opportunities in life. Exposure to high temperatures in school or regional disasters lowers their ability to learn and perform well on exams. Rising temperatures at home and other climate changes worsen sleep, exercise, mental health and happiness. Learning about the consequences of climate change can feel overwhelming and scary, like staring over the edge of a cliff. Unlike our ancestors who relied on stars, tea leaves and fortune tellers to try to peer into the future, we have data and scientific tools that empower us to understand the results of the different choices in front of us. Previously, the E.P.A. led the world in bringing the best available science to climate policy discussions. Overturning the endangerment finding would bench the agency right when we need the E.P.A.'s tools the most. There are opportunities to push back. The public can comment on the administration's proposal. And when legal challenges to this rollback end up in federal court, judges should recognize the overwhelming evidence on the dangers of greenhouse gases to Americans. Solomon Hsiang and Marshall Burke teach at the Doerr School of Sustainability at Stanford University. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We'd like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here's our email: letters@ Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp and Threads.
The Herald Scotland
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Herald Scotland
Trump's EPA to repeal climate regulation, tailpipe emissions rule
In 2009, the EPA under former Democratic President Barack Obama issued a finding that emissions from new motor vehicles contribute to pollution and endanger public health and welfare. It was upheld in several legal challenges and underpinned subsequent greenhouse gas regulations. "With regard to the endangerment finding, they'll say carbon dioxide is a pollutant and that's the end of it. They'll never acknowledge any type of benefit or need for carbon dioxide," Zeldin told the podcast. "It's important to note, and they don't, how important it is for the planet." Reuters reported last week that the EPA plans to repeal all greenhouse gas emission standards for light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicles and engines in the coming days after it removes the scientific finding that justified those rules, according to a summary. It is also expected to justify rescinding the endangerment finding by casting doubt on the scientific record used to make the finding, saying that "developments cast significant doubt on the reliability of the findings," the summary seen by Reuters says. The U.S. Supreme Court, in its landmark Massachusetts v. EPA case in 2007, said the EPA has authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and required the agency to make a scientific finding on whether they endanger public health. If finalized, this action will devastate the EPA's ability to carry out its primary authority to limit climate pollution under the federal Clean Air Act. Environmental activists immediately condemned the announcement. "As if any doubt remained, the Trump Administration has formalized climate denial as the official policy of the United States government," said Sierra Club Acting Executive Director Loren Blackford in a statement. "If approved, rescinding the endangerment finding would strike a decisive blow to the EPA's authority to limit deadly greenhouse gas emissions and protect our people and our planet from the very worst of the climate crisis. Nearly every single day we see increased incidents of extreme weather, record heatwaves, deadly floods and droughts all threatening our lives and communities--all of which are the undeniable result of greenhouse gas emissions. "The Trump administration is again taking a sledgehammer to the very foundation of our government and settled law, and doing so only to the benefit of corporate polluters while we pay the price." Zeldin said he will make the formal announcement on Tuesday afternoon in Indiana. Contributing: Ben Adler
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Trump's EPA targets key health ruling underpinning all US greenhouse gas rules
Washington: The Trump administration said on Tuesday it will rescind the long-standing finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health, removing the legal foundation for all U.S. greenhouse gas regulations. If finalized, the repeal would end current limits on greenhouse gas pollution from vehicle tailpipes, power plants, smokestacks and other sources, and hamper future U.S. efforts to combat global warming. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the agency's plan to rescind the "endangerment finding" at an event at a car dealership in Indiana, alongside Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and called it the largest deregulatory action in U.S. history. The proposal, which needs to undergo a public comment period, would cut $54 billion in costs annually through the repeal of all greenhouse gas standards, including the vehicle tailpipe standard, he said. Under President Joe Biden, the EPA said the tailpipe rules through 2032 would avoid more than 7 billion tons of carbon emissions as it prodded automakers to build more EVs and provide nearly $100 billion of annual net benefits to society including $62 billion in reduced fuel costs, and maintenance and repair costs for drivers. Environmental groups blasted the move, saying it spells the end of the road for U.S. action against climate change, even as the impacts of global warming become more severe. "With today's announcement, the EPA is telling us in no uncertain terms that U.S. efforts to address climate change are over. For the industries that contribute most to climate change, the message is 'pollute more.' For everyone feeling the pain of climate disasters, the message is 'you're on our own,'" said Abigail Dillen, president of Earthjustice. The move is expected to trigger legal challenges, according to several environmental groups, states and lawyers. Zeldin said a 2024 Supreme Court decision that reduced the power of federal agencies to interpret the laws they administer, known as the Chevron deference, means that the EPA does not have the ability to regulate greenhouse gases. "We do not have that power on our own to decide as an agency that we are going to combat global climate change because we give ourselves that power," Zeldin said. He added that if Congress decides it wants to amend the federal Clean Air Act to explicitly state the U.S. should regulate carbon dioxide, methane and other planet-warming gases, the EPA would follow its lead. SHAKING THE FOUNDATION The endangerment finding's roots date back to 2009, when the EPA under former Democratic President Barack Obama issued a finding that emissions from new motor vehicles contribute to pollution and endanger public health and welfare. That assessment followed a 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision in its landmark Massachusetts v. EPA case that said the EPA has the authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and required the agency to make a scientific finding on whether those emissions endanger public health. The endangerment finding was upheld in several legal challenges and underpinned subsequent greenhouse gas regulations, ranging from tailpipe standards for vehicles, carbon dioxide standards for aircraft, and methane standards for oil and gas operations. Zeldin and Wright challenged the global scientific consensus on climate change that global warming and its impacts have since been unfolding faster than expected and that policymakers need to step up action to curb global greenhouse gas emissions. They also contradict the advisory opinion issued last week by the International Court of Justice, which said failure by governments to reduce emissions could be an internationally wrongful act, and found that treaties such as the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change should be considered legally binding. The administration has already dismissed all authors of the U.S. National Climate Assessment, which detailed climate change impacts across the country. "Now the public is open to engage in a thoughtful dialogue about what is climate change? It is a real physical phenomenon. It's worthy of study. It's worthy of even some action, but what we have done instead is nothing related to the actual science of climate change or pragmatic ways to make progress," Wright said. Zeldin said on a podcast earlier Tuesday that the endangerment finding never acknowledged "any benefit or need for carbon dioxide." Industry reaction was limited on Tuesday, with some trade groups weighing in and some companies remaining quiet. American Trucking Associations welcomed the announcement, saying that Biden-era vehicle emissions standards "put the trucking industry on a path to economic ruin and would have crippled our supply chain," said its president, Chris Spear. Ford said in a statement that Biden-created tailpipe standards did "not align with the market," and America needs "a single, stable standard to foster business planning." "The standard should align with science and customer choice, reduce carbon emissions by getting more stringent over time, and grow American manufacturing," Ford said. Other automakers Toyota, GM, Stellantis declined to comment. Marty Durbin, president of the Global Energy Institute at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said it welcomed the administration's focus on affordable energy but said it is still weighing the proposal. "While we did not call for this proposal, we are reviewing it and will consult with members so we can provide constructive feedback to the agency," he said.
